AIG Karachi says militants received support from within metropolis for PSX attack

KARACHI: Additional Inspector General of Karachi Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon revealed on Tuesday that  militants that attempted to storm the Pakistan Stock Exchange had support within Karachi adding that it was not the work of a single organisation.  

Memon, speaking to Geo News, said threats of an attack on the PSX were received earlier as well due to which security in the area had been beefed up.

“It seems that the mastermind of the Chinese consulate and Pakistan Stock Exchange attacks is the same,” said the AIG. He added that there were a lot of similarities between the two attacks, saying that a lot of sleeper cells had been activated in the port city.

Memon shared that at the time of the attack, the militants did not have any backup with them.

Security forces foil militants' bid to storm PSX building

Security forces on Monday foiled an attempt made by four militants to storm the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the busiest building on Karachi's II Chundrigar Road.

Police said all four terrorists who attacked the PSX building around 10am on Monday morning were killed by security personnel, with two security guards and a police sub-inspector embracing martyrdom.

Armed militants had arrived at the PSX compound in a sedan and attempted to enter it from the parking ground side, according to initial reports and eyewitness statements. They were seen shouldering backpacks and carrying automatic weaponry in an amateur video captured by an eyewitness. The equipment, arms and ammunition recovered from them indicated that they had come prepared for a long siege.

After failing to enter the compound, the militants launched a gun and grenade attack and attempted to storm the building while opening indiscriminate fire. They were engaged by security personnel posted and failed to make headway amidst the heavy exchange of fire.

A senior counter-terrorism expert believes that the nationalist group of Balochistan is behind the failed attack on the PSX in Karachi, while the Indian spy agency RAW (Research & Analysis Wing) masterminded the terrorist activity.

“Basically, RAW was the mastermind of both the Chinese consulate and PSX attacks,” Raja Umer Khattab told The News. “Their aim was to damage Pakistan’s image in the world as well as hit the economy of our country.”

Khattab said that RAW orchestrated the entire thing: it planned, funded and ordered the PSX attack for the BLA to carry out.

“What did they [the BLA] lose in the attack? Only four of their members. But the attack put them in international news and damaged Pakistan’s image.”